


Road Going Nowhere in Particular

by coocoocajew



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Klance Roadtrip AU, M/M, allura and shiro are both 25 and dating, and lots of gay, b t dubs shallura is a side dish so they're not gonna get much attention, in which there will be fluff, keith's the guy that takes that to the next level and basically they go across the country, lance is the guy that will drop everything to go w u to mcdonalds at 3 am, they/them pronouns for Pidge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 21:31:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12756600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coocoocajew/pseuds/coocoocajew
Summary: Sure, maybe in hindsight it wasn't the smartest idea to follow the guy Lance has had a crush on for literal years, out into the world that neither of them were ready for... but what's life without adventure?The AU in which Keith and Lance go on a roadtrip, find themselves eating at Denny's restaurants in, basically, the middle of nowhere, praying that their old, red pickup truck doesn't fail them, and finding love on the way.2018 EDIT: this work will probably be permanently discontinued because of my loss of passion for vld as of late





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> my plan for this fic is for it to be short and sappy with a touch of angst and self-searching
> 
> but knowing me im gonna get carried away
> 
>  
> 
> 2018 EDIT: this work will probably be permanently discontinued because of my loss of passion for vld as of late

It wasn't everyday that, in this cramped, little house, that there is an all-out war.

 

And it's usually not between Keith and Shiro either.

 

But today was so, very different. Today had venom being spat from all angles in the house, distinct mumbles under breaths, and very, _very_ heated arguments. Today was a day where everyone was constantly uncomfortable, the only comfort that could be found was in one's own bedroom. Alone. Which Lance was fine with and all, but it tore him apart to see everyone so distant.

 

Looking back at how everything just went to shit, he can't pinpoint an exact point where things- well, went to shit.

 

If he had to guess, Keith was being a bit of an asshole, Shiro was having none of it, they spiralled into a half-hour debate over Keith's life and who he is as an individual, and it ended with Keith storming upstairs, away from Shiro, away from the rest of their housemates, away from all his problems.

 

Shiro was the one who broke the silence in the living room, where World War III had just occurred moments ago, with a "I'm sorry you all had to see that. We don't usually..."

 

"Try to rip each other apart?" Pidge filled in.

 

Lance and Hunk nodded in agreement. "Yeah that basically fits the bill."

 

Allura took to Shiro's side, saying softly in that gentle accent of her's, "Don't worry, Shiro. These things happen." Shiro seemed to appreciate the gesture, but he wasn't quite done seething yet.

 

"I mean," he started, "Should I go talk to him? Should he be alone right now?" Before anyone could answer, he stood up and looked as if he was going to march right up there. So Hunk stepped right up too.

 

"Woah, no. Okay. Listen, Shiro," Hunk put both hands up, "As much as I would love to have this brotherly argument be over, Keith would probably tear anyone's throat out that so much as knocked on his door. Not a good idea, man."

 

"Gotta agree with Hunk here," Lance added, "But I also don't think he should be alone." Lance may not get along quite well with Keith yet, but like hell he's gonna sit down here with all of them while Keith is up there hurting all on his own. 

 

"So..." Pidge started, "I'm sure as hell not going up there, I don't do well with these... _domestic_ fights. Allura?"

 

Allura, lovely lady she is, was about to accept but Hunk stepped in again. "No. I disagree. Allura is heavily biased here." And that was true. Allura and Shiro have been dating for years, and Keith wasn't the most open to her yet. "Personally, as a pretty soft guy, I would but I am downright terrified here."

 

And that left Lance.

 

Everyone looked at him. All they got in response was a shrug and a "Yeah, okay." He turned away from them and slowly made his way upstairs. He made his way past all their bedrooms and paused in front of Keith's.

 

In truth, he didn't know what the hell he was doing.

 

For all he knows, Keith won't even answer. Or he won't even let Lance talk or let him in. 

 

But what if he does? How does Lance start? _Hey, I'm sorry you and Shiro just engaged in some nuclear warfare but here's some half-assed advice on how you guys should say sorry?_ Yeah, no. Never. Bad idea. In a perfect world, Lance would swoop in, comfort his crush that he's had on for a few years, say some sweet words, and then it's over.

 

It's not a perfect world. Clearly.

 

But Lance sucked in a breath anyways and knocked on the door. "Hey, Keith? It's Lance." _Obviously._ "Can we talk?"

 

It was a moment of silence before Keith's door creaked open and he peeked his head out from the other side. "What? Did you get the short straw or something?"

 

 _Ouch_ , Lance thought, _is that what he always thinks?_ It took him a second to answer. "No, came all on my own actually." It was then that Lance noticed that Keith was deliberately blocking Lance's view of his room. Lance discreetly went up on his toes a bit more, but Keith did the same. "Wanted to check in on how you were doin'."

 

Keith scoffed at this. Lance continued anyway, "Can I come in?" He could practically see the gears in Keith's head turning, trying to figure out something Lance couldn't even begin to understand without help. "Looks like you're hiding a dead body in here or something?" Keith's eyes widened and and his head shot up. More gears. But slowly the door opened wider.

 

What Lance had prepared himself for, coming up to talk to Keith, was not this.

 

There were several maps on his bed, a halfway filled suitcase on the floor. Keith's phone, laptop, wallet, various chargers, and his keys in a pile next to a backpack that looked like it was stuffed full with shampoo, brushes, books, and a bunch of other stuff Lance couldn't see. Keith watched as Lance took it all in.

 

"So," Lance let out a breath, "Where are you going?"

 

Keith seemed to give that a thought. "Anywhere. Somewhere that's not here." He walked towards his dresser and began to continue pulling out clothes and shoving them in his suitcase, more violently than necessary.

 

Lance absentmindedly nodded. "I'm coming with you."

 

Keith whipped towards him so hard, Lance is afraid it gave him whiplash. " _Excuse me?_ " 

 

"You heard me." _Lance, what the fuck are you doing?_

 

"Lance, you-" Keith paused, "No."

 

"Why?" _Why can't you take "no" for an answer?_

 

"Because you don't have to follow my stupid decisions on a whim just because you're a nice guy, okay?"

 

"So you admit it's stupid," Lance said and Keith groaned. _No it's stupid to follow this guy._

 

Keith put his hands on his temples. "Listen," he started, "What happened down there? that wasn't about you. About any of you. That was me and Shiro. You don't have to feel like you need to do this. I don't want your pity, Lance."

 

 _Ouch again._ "I want to go."

 

That pissed Keith off. "Lance, you have a family here."  
  


"You do too."

 

" _Biological_ family that you cannot just abandon."

 

"I can do what I want, Keith. And I want to come." Lance stepped towards Keith and pointed a finger at him, "And anyways, biological family or not, doesn't matter. Hunk's not my blood brother, neither is Shiro. Doesn't matter one bit. People here consider you a family member just as much as they do their own. You have a family here. It's us, the people under the same roof as you that are not just going to let you run away from your problems all on your own."

 

"I don't want you to come." Keith's voice was getting louder, so Lance raised his too.

 

"So, what? You're gonna disappear on everyone and go God knows where until god knows when? You're leaving because you're... what? Angry with your inner turmoil? Angry that you have feelings?" Lance didn't even pause, "You're gonna go on your own not-so-joyful-roadtrip all because of this until you decide that it's okay again and come back and not directly assess the situation? Because that's what you're doing. You're running away, like always." Lance could see the fury in Keith's face, but he also knew he was getting somewhere with this.

 

"Lance, stop-"

 

"Let me come with you," he breathed out, "Let me help you this one time. You shouldn't have to go through whatever demons you're trying to handle on your own in there, okay?" Lance playfully flicked Keith's bangs out of his eyes so he could really see him. His eyes that burned with determination, passion, anger, and anything else Lance can hope to catch in a day. But today, those violet eyes were pleading. Lance knew it well. "I'm gonna come with you, and we're gonna find whatever answer you're trying to find. However long it takes. I don't care, I'm sticking with you, got it?"

 

Keith paused before quietly saying, "You don't know how long you'll be gone."

 

"Doesn't matter."  
  


"You're stuck with me."  
  


"Can't imagine better company."

 

"You don't even know where you're going."

 

"Neither do you, but we're gonna figure it out as we go."

 

Keith turned back to his clothes and packed them more gently. "I hope you don't plan on complaining about how much you miss everyone the whole time."

 

Lance crossed his arms, "Whatever, Keith. I know you'll miss them too."

 

Lance left the room, saying he was also gonna pack up. He packed everything he could think of. Tissues, chargers, earbuds, his keys, money, clothes, spare blankets and pillows, and just about anything else that came to mind for a roadtrip. After putting his bags in the hallway, he snuck downstairs, passing the living room silently so he could sneak a cooler to put loads of food and water bottles into. When he made it back up, Keith had just came from his room.

 

"Ready?" Lance asked.  
  
  


"Ready," Keith answered.

 

And with that, they went downstairs again. This time ignoring the living room but making sure that the other's knew they were there. Hunk was the first t come and investigate. Keith was already at the car, loading it when Hunk grabbed Lance's wrist in the doorway. "Uh, dude? Explanation please?"

 

Lance watched as Pidge, Allura, and then Shiro came up from behind. "Oh, right. Keith and I are gonna go on a roadtrip."

 

"What?" Shiro hissed out.  
  
  


Allura hushed him, "Lance, where? How long?"

 

"We don't know the specifics yet but-"

 

Pidge interrupted him, "Is he running away again?"

 

If Lance had feathers, he would have fluffed up at that comment. But he didn't so he settled with, "No. He's searching," and turned away. He held up a hand and passed Keith his suitcase, "We'll keep you guys updated. Don't miss us too much." He and Keith jumped into the truck and Keith shoved the keys in the ignition.

 

Lance pointedly ignored their friends watching from the front door. "Alright, roadtrip pal, let's hit the road. Where are we off to first?"

 

Keith smirked, and Lance felt relief that his mood seemed lighter now that he wasn't practically suffocating with tension in the house, "Well, I was thinking the Grand Canyon."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys made their way to Arizona, and bond under the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna have them camp in this chapter but i know nothing about camping so....
> 
> them sleeping in the cargobed is totally self-indulgent. it seems i have no shame whatsoever
> 
> warning: there's a panic attack. if you're uncomfortable with that, stop reading at "And race they did."  
> you can pick back up at "When Keith calmed down"
> 
> basically all you miss is lance being soft and they're touchy

"Y'know," Lance started, "I have never eaten in the middle of nowhere before."

 

Keith looked up from his fries with a quirked eyebrow. "Don't go around much?"

 

Lance scoffed, "No! It's just... kinda weird not being around so many people like we are back home." Lance gestured out the window, to the vast desert.

 

Keith hummed, "I like it. It's peaceful." It really was for Keith. Back home, they were constantly surrounded. Keith's thoughts are always in full throttle, and the suffocating atmosphere doesn't help much. In the multiple foster homes he'd spent time at, those whom he lived with generally left him alone, noticing that the young boy would much rather have had time alone than with others. Now, cramped in a house with everyone who was constantly worried about how shut-off he can be, made Keith anxious. He knew they all had only the best intentions, but it never helped. In fact sometimes it made those dreadful thoughts even worse. It started with him blaming himself for being this way, and then spiralling all the way to thinking about i _f only he was different. If only he wasn't such a damn loner than maybe-_

 

Fingers snapped in his face. "Hey, Keith. Those demons catching up to you again?"

 

Keith's brows furrowed. "No." _There you go again._

 

Lance only snorted at this and sipped his cola. "Clearly." Keith turned to look around the diner. It was almost completely vacant, save from the cooks and the very few customers. His eyes traced the neon lights, which somehow still managed to be soft, even with the sunset shining through the windows. A cop sitting at the bar conversed with the slightly busty waitress, who just brushed off his poor attempts at flirting. The rest of the customers were quiet, listening to the low hum of music that could be heard of the TV shoved in the corner, and the cooks flipping burgers and talking with one another.

 

 _Yeah,_ Keith thought, _I like this._

 

"So," Lance interrupted, seemingly not noticing how chilled out Keith was, "Why the Grand Canyon?"

 

Keith shrugged. "Always kinda wanted to go. Looks cool. I hear good stuff about it." He waited for Lance response while chewing on a fry, but when he didn't get one, he looked up and Lance had a look on his face that said _okay, what's the real reason?_ Keith looked back down and said quietly, "And I may or may not have heard that there were ghosts."

 

Lance let out a laugh, too loud for the calm atmosphere, and everyone looked at them. Keith bristled with embarrassment but directed his attention towards Lance. "I knew it! You are such a sucker for that shit."

 

"Listen-" Lance started laughing again. Keith couldn't help but left out a chuckle along with him. "No, really! Listen, there are pictures."

 

Lance took a breath and wiped stray tears from his laughter with his forefinger. "Keith, buddy, my man, you do know that photoshop exists, right?"

 

" _Yes,_ " Keith huffed out, "But that doesn't mean _they_ are."

 

They discussed Keith's obsession with ghosts a bit more as they finished their food, paid and apologized for the noise, and set off to the national park. They climbed into Keith's truck, this time with Lance taking the wheel, and as Keith expected but was praying wouldn't happen, Lance turned the radio on. Immediately, like he knew what was going to be on, he broke into lyrics along with Britney Spears. 

 

_"Oh, baby, baby_  
_How was I supposed to know_  
_That something wasn't right here?"_

 

"No, Lance, please stop." Keith groaned when Lance only turned it up higher.

 

_"Oh, baby, baby_  
_I shouldn't have let you go_  
_And now you're out of sight, yeah."_

 

Keith had hoped for mercy while they were on this trip, but alas, when did he ever get what he wanted?

 

Lance sang along all the way until the reached the Grand Canyon, much to Keith's despair. He had synced his phone, and every song was Britney Spears When they made it, he took the keys out of the ignition and sighed happily. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?"  
  


"Sorry, I can't seem to hear you. I must be deaf from a certain someone's offkey singing."

 

:I hope you're not talking about Britney."  
  


"No, I'm talking about a different diva." Keith hopped out of the truck.

 

"Slander!"

 

He rolled his eyes as he looked around. It was breathtaking, even if it was dark. The stars lit up the sky and he looked at them in wonder. He couldn't see them very well back at the house, never really appreciated it too much until now. _If only-_

 

"Keith, if you're thinking about aliens, I'm gonna have to ask you to stop."

 

"There have been several sightings-"

 

Lance let out an obnoxiously loud yawn. "Look at that, I'm tired. No time to listen to your rambling." He climbed onto the cargo bed and looked up at the sky. "Sure is nice though." Keith looked up at Lance and watched his blue eyes skim the stars. They seemed to twinkle even brighter than usual now and it had Keith's heart jumping. _Yeah, he is._

 

_Wait. What._

 

"I'm gonna give Hunk a call," Lance jumped down and pulled his phone from his pocket. Before dialing he took a look at Keith. "Are you also gonna call someone or..?"

 

Keith flinched a bit and Lance was immediately going to try and apologize but Keith stopped him. "Will you - uh... say hi to them for me?"

 

Lance nodded and flashed a thumbs up. A toothy grin spread across his face and he started walking towards the small building not too far away, with "Yeah, one hundred percent, dude. Don't even worry about it."

 

Keith watched him go, and when he had it to the small building, he turned back to the stars. He let his thoughts race freely finally. And race they did. 

_Why are you even here? What's your plan? Why are you troubling yourself? Why are you troubling him? He probably doesn't even want to be here. He just pities you. He's such a nice person and you're leeching off that kindness. Stop being selfish. You're always like this. Maybe if you were different, you wouldn't have fought with Shiro. You wouldn't have to put Lance through all this trouble. You wouldn't have had to make a big deal over you being sensitive. You wouldn't have had to-_

 

"Keith!"

 

Keith's eyes snapped to his side. Lance's eyes were wide and his hands were on Keith's shoulders. "Hey, you alright?" Keith couldn't answer. His throat had closed up and he felt his breaths coming fast through his nose. His chest hurt and his hands started to shake. "Keith! Holy- _shit_ , okay." His hands hovered over Keith now. "Keith, listen to me, can I touch you?"

 

Keith couldn't speak so he nodded. Lance pulled on the tailgate of the truck and gently lifted Keith up to sit atop. Keith's hands were still shakings but at the same time they were digging into his palms. Lance noticed and immediately pulled his fingers apart and held them in his hands. "Look at me," Keith could barely hear him. His eyes darted around, looking for people who were noticing the commotion. A few did and Keith hated it. " _Keith_. Look at _me_." Keith did. He let himself try and drown himself in the sparkling ocean that was Lance's eyes. Lance's thumbs rubbed soothing circles over the back of his hands and he instinctively leaned towards Lance. Their foreheads touched and Lance's fingers started to trace up and down Keith's arms, to his shoulders. He whispered, "That's it. You're okay." Keith's breaths slowly started to become deep and slow. Lance never pulled away. His hands ventured up and down, from Keith's hair to his back. Up his neck, down to his hands.

 

When Keith calmed down, Lance leaned back to observe his face. He brought Keith's knuckles up to his lips and whispered, "You okay?"

 

Keith hummed and nodded, "Yeah... I-I'm fine now. I'm so-"

 

"Don't even finish that sentence. I don't wanna hear it." Lance's fingers still moved across Keith's knuckles.

 

"How-" Keith swallowed, "How did you know what to do?"

 

Lance's lips quirked a bit, "Well, sometimes that would happen to my sister. Sometimes she'd get so overwhelmed or stuck in her own head. Like _you_." He poked a finger in between Keith's furrowed eyebrows and Keith huffed out a small chuckle. His hand dropped and he looked at Keith seriously. "Is that what happened?"

 

Keith considered it for a moment but slowly nodded. "Hasn't happened in awhile. Um... Shiro would usually help me out with them." He shrugged his shoulders and found himself looking down at their hands. "But.. thank you. Really."  
  


"Keith," Lance moved his head so he was back in Keith's field of vision, "Don't you dare worry about it. I'm happy to help. Anytime."

 

 _There's that kindness again_. Keith literally shook the thought from his head. He looked back at Lance who had a small smile on his face. "We'll work on it while we're out here, Keith." Keith's heart just about leapt up his throat as his smile only got bigger. God, that smile was gonna kill him.

 

When they parted, Lance mentioned that while he was talking to Hunk, he had spoken to a lady working in the building about where he could go to park the truck somewhere else. So she gave him directions and they went. And when they got there, Keith felt breathless yet again. He hopped out of the car and looked around. They were closer to the stars and the mountains than he ever could have imagined. It was so blue, and white, with the black outlines of the mountains. It was so, _so_ beautiful. Keith's eyes took in the sight, completely oblivious to what Lance was looking at.

 

Lance was too busy looking at Keith.

 

In Lance's eyes, he was far more enchanting than any sight. Keith's lips were parted in awe. His eyes, which Lance could see clearly thanks to the loose ponytail Keith was sporting, shined brighter than any sight. Lance made his resolve then and there that no matter what _he's going to see the world._  

 

Lance got an idea and quietly back away to not disturb Keith. He reached into the truck and grabbed the bags that held the blankets and pillows. He climbed into the back and started to lay them down to form a makeshift bed. When he finished, he returned to Keith's side and slowly reached out. He gently tugged on Keith's ponytail, which was a mistake because Lance wasn't ready for what happened next.

 

Keith whipped around, forming words, but almost failing. "Holy hell, Lance. It's so beautiful I might fall over."

 

"Not yet," Lance laughed, "I just made the bed."

 

"What?"

 

"How do you feel about sleeping under the stars?"

 

Keith couldn't even answer so Lance just pulled him towards towards the back of the truck and presented his work. Keith just chuckled and shoved Lance. "You're ridiculous. Why wouldn't we sleep inside?"

 

Lance pouted, "Keith, I did this for you and that's what you have to say?!" 

 

Keith wordlessly climbed up and immediately settled down onto one side. "Better get in before I steal all the blankets."

 

With a gasp, Lance jumped in and dived into the comfort of bed and Keith. Oh, he was so blessed for this. And Keith didn't have a clue.

 

He snuggled into the blanket and turned his head to look at Keith. His body was facing him, but his eyes were looking at the sky. Once again, Lance reached. His fingers grazed Keith's cheekbones, and in response, he had violet eyes on his. 

 

"Hi," Keith whispered.

 

"Hey," Lance responded.

 

Keith's hand reached up and flattened itself against Lance's as he leaned into the touch. "Thank you. So much, Lance. I don't think you know how much this all means to me." His lips were upturned into the prettiest smile Lance swears he ever saw.

 

"Keith," Lance started but he couldn't finish. His whole body heated up under Keith's gaze, it made him feel oddly shy, but he couldn't help but move closer. Keith's hand slowly came to rest on Lance's waist. Maybe it was weird that they were this close, this intimate. Maybe it was. But neither seemed to care. They seeked the other's warmth.

 

Nothing seemed to matter as they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms under the starry night sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some of my fav hcs for keith are:  
> gay  
> conspiracy theorist  
> and lactose intolerant
> 
> y'all know he would chug milk if he was, that's how fed up he is
> 
> also: whenever i read a vld fic, i always want keith and shiro to have a big fight. like a bad one. idk why.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry about any mistakes!! tbh too lazy to check
> 
> you can find me here: @http://coo-coo-ca-jew.tumblr.com
> 
>  
> 
> 2018 EDIT: this work will probably be permanently discontinued because of my loss of passion for vld as of late


End file.
